****RESULTS: Challenge #64 Geometry****

This has been a wonderful learning experience. Critiquing doesn’t come naturally to me. I usually know what I like, but often I can’t explain why. This time I have worked hard at articulating as clearly as I can what my thinking process has been. I am sure there will be those who disagree, but that is how it is in every challenge isn’t it.

At the very beginning of my first challenge thread I said,

“ I chose this topic because it will be fun for me to judge. I also hope it will be a little exercise in "Seeing creatively".” I wish I had written that last sentence in all block letters. It was important. I apologize because I didn’t make it clear enough. These are the things I looked for in each entry.

1. Creative Seeing. Were you able to see and appreciate geometric design in something that someone else might walk right past without noticing? Ideally this process happens before the shutter is pressed, but sometimes it doesn’t happen until the editing stage. That is OK. We all have to start some where don’t we?

2. How apparent is the geometry? Do I have to search through lots of jumble to find it? Simplicity of design was high on my list. Maybe that is one of my personal idiosyncrasies developed after living in Japan for 27 years.

3. Composition. Does the geometry add something to the composition to make it better, or is it just “incidental”.

4. Colors. Do the colors work well together. (Is the B&W conversion pleasing to the eye?)
5. Impact. Does the picture in general create any emotions in the viewer.

I also had a hors concours folder, but fortunately it didn’t end up with many entries. First there were a few famous building pictures. I really struggled with 2 of these because they were so beautiful. Both Renato’s and Katherine’s were flawless. A perfect choice of wide angle lens, perfect exposure, perfect post processing, lots of impact. Both deserved to be on the cover of a travel magazine. But they missed out in the creative seeing aspect because the reason you go to that building is to take a photo of that exact scene. There are probably a zillion other photos of exactly the same thing floating around out there. In fact, both of the above pictures had other versions also posted in the thread, one an entry and one not. I was nervous about taking this approach in case there were a few other famous views of famous buildings that I missed. If that is the case, you can thrash me soundly. There were a couple others that fit in this category as well. Three others, jkjond, KT Mae, and Blimbo had excellent entries that went into this folder because they were more creative creating rather than creative seeing. My husband’s first place winner was the one done by KT Mae. Maybe some time we can have a creative creating theme. Now wouldn’t that be fun!